Next Time, For Sure

“Greetings, Orochimaru-sensei.”
After Itachi bowed in respect, the bond between master and disciple was thus established. For Orochimaru, who had already gained much from the Uchiha clan, his interest now grew even more.
In these times, finding a good teacher was difficult, but for a teacher to find a disciple whose nature matched his own was just as rare.
Take for example those Orochimaru had encountered before—Guy, Kakashi, and Yamato—all of whom possessed remarkable talent.
Yet, Guy and Yamato’s gifts lay respectively in taijutsu and the bloodline limit; aside from their general abilities, there was little else he could guide them in.
Most crucially, both were emotional types.
The closer they drew to a particular emotion, the more fully their power and potential were unleashed.
Chakra is born from the fusion of spiritual and physical energy, and emotional ninja, when driven to their limits, are truly terrifying.
Therefore, in order to maximize Yamato’s potential, Orochimaru handed him over to Jiraiya for training.
It was easy to imagine: once Jiraiya instilled in Yamato the concepts of friendship, comradeship, and protection, and guided him out of his period of confusion, Yamato’s strength would rise dramatically.
Orochimaru acknowledged Jiraiya’s abilities and this method of growing stronger; his mind was far broader than most. Still, he had to admit that this type of genius did not suit him.
Orochimaru preferred ninja like Kakashi.
Those who suppress their emotions and desires, who possess a clear understanding of their goals and the steps required to achieve them, and who have both the ability and determination to carry out each step.
Had he met Kakashi earlier, Orochimaru might have taken him as a disciple.
But unfortunately, Kakashi was already Minato’s student, and had lost his purpose—he was already spent.
Yet now, Orochimaru had found an even more exceptional disciple.
His gaze swept over Itachi, who held the child in his arms; the corner of his mouth curled into a slightly dangerous smile.
Passing on his teachings was one part, but he also wished to use the Sharingan to study its suppressive effect on the cells of the First Hokage.
Itachi sensed Orochimaru’s gaze and felt a certain pressure, taking an involuntary step back.
Suddenly acquiring a teacher, his life in the short term changed little—he still had to attend the ninja academy.
Orochimaru had no interest in instructing in such elementary matters, and he believed that with Itachi’s talent, he would soon finish his studies, just as Kakashi had.
A sound of wind rushed by, and a figure appeared before the three.
“Clan leader, everyone has been gathered.”

“We shall go now,” Fugaku said, his face stern and nodding slightly, then turned his gaze to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru glanced at Itachi and smiled, “Why not come along? This is a good opportunity to witness combat between ninja.”
Itachi, still holding the young Sasuke, hesitated, but under his father’s gaze, he could only nod in agreement.
…
“Why did the clan leader call us here?”
“Didn’t you get any news either?”
“Maybe he’s taking us to protest. The rumors in the village have gotten worse lately…”
…
At a training ground far from the clan’s territory, a chorus of voices erupted. These men, cold-faced and aloof to outsiders, were among their own the most talkative of all.
“Captain Jinshuke, do you know something?”
One clansman noticed Uchiha Jinshuke’s silence and assumed he held some inside information.
“No, I don’t, but…”
Jinshuke paused, recalling his recent encounter with Orochimaru.
At this moment, for the clan leader to suddenly gather the majority of the clan’s elites, the only plausible reason was this ‘Sannin.’
“What does Orochimaru want?”
A sense of doubt stirred within Jinshuke.
The other clansman, deprived of the answer he sought, joined the surrounding conversations once more.
The training ground buzzed with noise until Uchiha Fugaku, the clan leader, arrived, gradually quieting the crowd.
He raised his hand to silence the chatter and spoke slowly, “The reason for this gathering is a rehearsal exercise.”
Fugaku briefly explained how, during the chaos of the Nine-Tails incident, the Police Force’s response was neither timely nor experienced in organizing a defense against a Tailed Beast. To regain the trust of the Third Hokage and other village leaders, he had invited Orochimaru of the ‘Legendary Sannin’ to help them train.
“Tailed Beast? Training?”
The crowd exchanged confused glances. How was one to train for a Tailed Beast attack—capture one and let it loose?
Konoha had no perfect jinchuriki capable of fully controlling a Tailed Beast, so how could they conduct such training without risk?

Moreover, was it truly necessary to train for a Tailed Beast attack?
With the Nine-Tails once again contained within a jinchuriki, could the Third Hokage and the others really repeat the same mistake?
Faced with the clan’s doubts, Orochimaru spoke at just the right moment, his tone mocking, “Short-sighted, with little awareness of crisis—the Uchiha Police Force is really at this level? How disappointing.”
Hearing their Police Force belittled, the Uchiha elites glared at Orochimaru with anger, caring little for his status, their gaze burning with fury.
Even the stare of a crowd brings pressure, and here they were all powerful ninja. Yet Orochimaru seemed unconcerned, his voice calm and measured:
“Three years ago, before Minato Namikaze became the Fourth Hokage, a ninja named Rin Nohara from his squad had the Three-Tails sealed within her by the Mist. Their plan was to break the seal in Konoha. If not for Minato’s disciple Kakashi, you would have witnessed a Tailed Beast attack on the village that year.”
Silence fell once more across the training ground; the Uchiha elites looked at each other, suspicion etched on their faces.
The news of Rin Nohara being forced to become a Three-Tails jinchuriki and subsequently being stopped by Kakashi was not a classified secret, but only those with certain standing in the village knew of it, and most of the Uchiha present lacked that status.
Yet they trusted that Orochimaru would not fabricate such a tale.
“Furthermore, the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails attack has yet to be caught. Setting aside the possibility of him seizing the Nine-Tails again, what if he uses Tailed Beasts from other villages to assault Konoha…”
As he spoke, Orochimaru’s eyes sharpened and he suddenly barked, “How would you respond? Would you cower behind the lines as last time?”
This demand, delivered with force, caused most of the Uchiha elites to flush red, as if blood surged through their bodies. It was both shame and anger.
In recent days, they had heard such accusations too many times.
And they could not refute them, for the core duty of the Uchiha Police Force was to protect Konoha.
Whatever the reasons, failing to fulfill their responsibilities was undeniable reality.
Such was reality, but it did not mean the Uchiha elites would accept it—they would never simply lie down and surrender.
Each harbored a hidden blaze of anger, vowing that next time would be different.
The crowd seethed with indignation, united in resolve!
Under these stares, Orochimaru nodded inwardly, his face once again adorned with a sinister smile. “The matter of the Tailed Beast is nothing to worry about; I will take care of it. But before then…”
“Who among you is ‘Shisui the Teleporter’?”